


Change the Narrative

by Morgyn Leri (morgynleri)



Series: Tumblr Prompts [12]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Fairy Tale Elements, Fantasy, GFY, Hero as Villain, Off-screen Character Death, Villain as Hero
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:43:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21945142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgynleri/pseuds/Morgyn%20Leri
Summary: The fairy tale princess and her charming prince meet the local witch.
Series: Tumblr Prompts [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/850956
Kudos: 14





	Change the Narrative

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by [this post](https://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/189173485847) on tumblr:
> 
> All the tropes are in front of you. Every day for the past week you’ve been seeing the new girl walking around town. Always singing to animals and followed by a sidekick pet. Her boyfriend even being described as “Prince Charming” by various people in town.
> 
> Quickly the songs grow irritating, there are animals everywhere, and her bubbly optimism wears down your patience. You recognize that this has become a fairytale, and you’re likely the villain.

If I'm going to be the villain, I'm bloody well going to do it on my own terms, not whatever narrative they're planning for me.

I don't have a lot to start from, but I use what I do have. Beeswax, and wrapping a length of wool around my head to cover my ears and give me blessed silence to work in.

Peels from the small, soft-skinned oranges from the small tree in its pot kept alive with sunlamps, a touch of magic, and a lot of luck. Dried rosehips from autumn's harvest, gathered off the bush that's taken over one side of the house. Carefully crumbled and put in the teapot with hot water.

A nice cloth spread over the table, with blackwork all around the edges to complement the patterns in the crocheted rug under the table, on the teacups, and in the handles of the spoons. Steel, rather than silver, but they're still pretty, and they'll do the job.

Honey from the same hive as the wax, glowing a warm amber in its jar on the windowsill, waiting to be brought over to the table. Everything just so, and waiting for a guest to share the tea with.

I make sure my tunic and trousers are straight, trade the wool for a nice linen wrap that hides my hair, and wait.

The knock on the door comes just on time, and I answer it with a smile I can only mean because it is still delightfully quiet, if no longer silent. How long I can mean it, well. As long as I need to.

"Come in, I'm so glad you could make it over. Tea?" I fetch the honey from the windowsill once they've seen it, and a lime from its tree - like the oranges, only it takes a bit less luck and bit more magic.

"Thank you so much for inviting us!" Alys smiles, bright and terrifyingly cheerful, while beside her, her boyfriend is colder. He tries for charming, and I'm sure that most people find him so.

"Oh, of course. I simply had to meet you. I've heard so many people talking about you, how sweet and kind and wonderful you are."

My own smile is less welcoming, my ability to act in the face of them fading. I just need to hold on long enough. I really have heard so much about them.

Alys offers to pour the tea, and her boyfriend declines my offer of honey or lime. So does she. I use them both. Letting them carry most of the conversation - interrupted by an impromptu song, Alys always seems to be trying out something new. It seems to make the small dog she carries in a bag happy, anyway, leaning against her and looking up with a blank adoration that bothers me.

It dims her cheer for a moment when nothing else comes running. As if I would leave my cats where they can hear her.

"More tea?" I offer to keep their cups topped off, and my own. Laced with more lime and honey, because, "Oh, it just tastes sweeter and more vibrant like this."

They still refuse any of either.

When the pot is empty, I wave them a polite farewell from the door, watching as they head off down the street to the house they moved into.

Cleaning up the teapot and the table with care, tablecloth washed and put away, spoons and cups washed with salt, honey back on the windowsill and the peels from the lime put out on the compost with the dregs from the tea.

A week later, the news reports that a local couple were found dead in their home, with evidence they'd been dead a while, and signs that their dog had been chewing on them. The local constabulary and medical establishment are baffled as to how it happened, or who might have done it. After all, no one wanted them dead. Everyone liked them.

Well.

Except for the dead they left in their wake. They weren't too fond of Alys and Prince Charming. And it's hard to not hear them when they're screaming obsenities every time she opened her mouth.

I melt the beeswax earplugs in the fire, and fix myself a nice mug of hot chocolate, settling in with one cat on my lap, another next to me, and the third on the rug in front of the hearth. A little celebration of the recently returned peace is in order.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to tumblr [here](https://morgynleri.tumblr.com/post/189181250264).


End file.
